Occupational diseases

Autopsies of a mine disaster’s victims reveal another layer of the tragedy: most of the miners had black lung, a disease many experts thought was under control years ago. This entirely preventable disease is now bouncing back.

The way people get acute lead poisoning is through exposure to old paint right at home. The stereotype is of a poor child eating a paint chip in a dilapidated housing project. But, plenty of cases of poisoning come from lead dust, particles too small to notice. And while children living in low-income homes run […]

Most adults’ exposure to lead isn’t enough to endanger their health. But, thousands of people work in close contact with dangerous lead fumes and dust; sometimes without even knowing it. State and federal rules require employers to protect their workers from toxic materials, still, some industries continue to operate with little or no safety precautions […]

A daughter looks at the price of coal on her father’s health.